Hot off the press this very afternoon comes issue number 1 of The Room, a magazine produced in Arabic by Surrealists in Egypt:
From the beginning, light and darkness wrestle, the light of freedom and imagination and the darkness of oppression. But even in the darkest moments of darkness, in the longest night of existence, the victory of darkness is not complete. […] The Room is the first surrealist magazine published in Arabic since the early 70s, and the first surrealist magazine published in the Middle East since the 50s, like the phoenix that rises from its ashes, loaded with all the flames of creativity of leading surrealists from around the world.
Warning: You will not be the same person after reading this magazine.
As the magazine blurb above says, as well as original new material by Egyptian Surrealists, it also includes new Arabic translations of international Surrealist work. Among many other items are translations of my poem How To Dispose Of A Corpse (from The Reality Binge Trick) as well as my recent blog post on the underground.
If you read Arabic, I envy you, because you can read the whole issue here.
If (like me) you don’t read Arabic, there’s a short introduction document in English and French available here.
Meanwhile, In Another Part Of The Forest Of Symbols…
The exhibition Surrealism: Wellspring Of The Imagination has just opened at Wyeside Arts Centre in mid-Wales:
John Richardson and John Welson will be exhibiting works which provide evidence not only of contemporary Surrealist activity, but of the continuing relevance of the Surrealist critique of the dull world of the reality-principle, referred to in the First Surrealist Manifesto as “the unacceptable human condition”. Seeking to transform our view of “what is” and “what can be”, and to reveal a deeper, hidden reality, this exhibition reveals that Surrealism is above all an adventure of the mind.
The exhibition runs until 1 April, and admission is free.
Wyeside Arts Centre
Castle Street
Builth Wells LD2 3BN
There will also be two special events during the exhibition: an evening of readings on 6 March, and a talk on Surrealism by Richardson and Welson on 20 March. In both cases doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start, and admission is £5, with proceeds going to Wyeside.
Image credits:
The Room cover image from the Rê Facebook page.
Exhibition flyer courtesy of John Richardson.
Take a peek behind the veil.
Merl Fluin 